emmens



(No Model.)

S. H. EMMENS. GUN CARRIAGE.

No.- 422,513. Patented Mar. 4, 1890.

v STEPHEN HENRY Emme/vs y N.' PETERS. Phulo-Lilhogmphur. Wnslunglon. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN H. EMMENSMOF LONDON, ENGLAND.

GUN-CARRIAGE. u

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 422,513, dated March 4, 1890. .Application led February 23, l1889. Serial No. 300,931. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, STEPHEN HENRY MENS, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of London, England, temporarily residing at Harrison, in the State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gun -Oarriages, of which the following is a specification.

This invention consists in certain novel combinations of parts as hereinafter claimed, the whole primarily designed for embodiment in a carriage fora piece of existing ordnance converted into a to1pedo-liowitzer, according to a separate invention set forth in my spcciication forming part of an application for Letters Patent for an improvement in ordnance and projectiles for throwing high explosives, filed February 20, 1889, Serial No. 300,558. The improved gun-carriage and individual features thereof may also bes used inconnection with heavy ordnance of other types. v

The objects of this invention are, first, to form a stift and solid gunparriage of wroughtiron or steel, which shall afford' protection to the gunners against hostile fire; secondly, to facilitate withdrawing, lowering, and reeelevating the breech-plug by manual power; thirdly, to facilitate a further depression of the breech-plug out of the way of the projectilein loading, and, fourthly, to facilitate yelevating and depressing the gun by manual power, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

A sheet of drawings accompanies this speci'- ication as part thereof.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a partlysectionized side elevation of a converted Rodman gun mounted and operated according to this invention. Fig. 2 represents an axial horizontal section of the same and a plan of the parts at and below the -plane of section.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

G represents the gun, which may be any piece of heavy breech-loading ordnance having horizontal trunnions.

The particular gun shown in the drawings, and for which the carriage is primarily designed, is a converted cast-iron Rodman gun having a steel lining-tube L, Fig. 2, a highexplosive projectile P, a combined fermeture and charge-holder F as its breechplug, a

subsidiary fermeture F', and screw or worm gear S forti ghtening and loosening the breechplug. These parts (shown in the drawings)'are more fully set forth in the specification of said application for patent, filed February 20, 1889, and their peculiarities and combinations form no part of the invention hereinafter claimed.

The carriage proper consists of a mount M, a rear platform P2', a hood H2, and a front shield S2, all of wrought-iron or steel.V The mount M is constructed as follows: Twlongitudinal bearers B2, each composed of two vertical plates, are provided at their ends and centers with bearing-blocks X, that rest' onl axles furnished with six pairs of rollers R. The front axle extends across from bearer to bearer, but the central and rear rollers work on short axles, as shown at the rear in Fig. 2. The bearers arc rigidly connected with each other by cross-beams C2, which support the rear platform P2, and by a brace-tie T2, near the front of the carriage. The bearers B2 support upwardly-projecting struts U, of T-iron or steel, which converge at and immediately under bearings or socket pieces X2, in which the trunnions of the gun rest. Said struts are united with vertical plates V, with those of the bearers B, and with each other where they adjoin, so as to form rigid and efficient supports for the gun.

The hood H2 consists of steel plates forming plain side walls and a flat arch uniting the same, and is securely attached to the top of the rear pair of said struts U, from which its sides rise.

The shield S2 is a plain steel plate closing the'front of the hood, with the exception of such space as is necessary for the elevation and depression of the gun.

For the elevating and depressing operation a pair of horizontally-sliding wedges W' are provided with anti-friction rollers r2, Fig. 1, and mounted upon the front portion of the rear platform P2, or supported in equivalent manner at the respective sides of the breech end of the gun. These Wedges are moved backward and forward by racks and pinions R R. The wedges coact With the respective ends of a yoke-bar Y, which extends across underneath the breech of the gun and is suitably attached to the latter.

The mechanical force required for with- IOO .'*height and of a suitable width to engage with drawing or retracting and lowering the breech-plug after firing and for lifting the projectile and breech-plug into loading .position is obtained by means of a windlass W2, Fig. l, an overhead snatch-block O, suspended from a cross-girder at the top of the hood H2, and a handling-chain H, terminating in a hook h, to coact with which the rear rim of the breech-plug is provided at top with an eye o.. Y

.The breech-plug is further provided with a pair of laterally projecting rigid arms' A2, which carry at their outer ends spindles for a pair of rollers R2. hood H2 are provided inside with fiXedly-attached pieces of suitably-bent angle-iron, forming plate-rails R3, to coact with and guide said rollers R2, and pockets P3 are formed at the lower extremities of' said rails to hold said rollers in their outermost position.

Midway between the sides of the hood a central lrest or table T? is erected upon the rear platform P2, with its top at a proper the lowermost groove of the interrupted screw 'when the breech-plug'v is drawn out, and to suitably support the projectile and breechj plug preparatory to thrusting them into the .l breech of the gun in its loading position.

-, tions in full lines in Fig. 1.

. longer supported by the table T3.

On the respective sides of the rest or table i Tsja pairof levers L2 are pivoted to its central support by a horizontal pivot common to both. A roller R4 is pivoted between their rear ends, and a counterbalance-weight W3 is attached to them between their front ends. These parts are shown in their normal posi- The object of the device is to support the front end ofthe breechplug whenit ispulled back from its position indicated by the dotted outline ct in Fig. 1, tov its retracted posit-ion indicated by the dotted outline b, where its rollers R3 rest in the pockets P3, and the breech-pl-ug is no p Owing to the pivotal support` afforded by said rollers R3 and the yielding support so lafforded by said roller RQ the front end of the breechplug is readily depressed un til it occupies the position wholly below the level of the table T3, indicated by the dotted outline c.

The operation of the above-described devices, as employed in connection with said combined fermeture and charge -holder F as the breechplug,is as follows: The breechv plug isfirst loosened by turning the worm or The handling-chain H is then screw gear S. coupled to itby means of the hook and eye h i, and with the aid of the windlass 72, rollers R2, rails R3, and table T3, the breech-plug isreadily retracted and lowered to said position b. The propelling-cartridges are then loaded into the chambers provided for them Yin the front-of the breech-plug, and the plug is pushed down into said position C, so

as to leave a clear way for the introduction The side walls of the4 ofthe projectile P. The latter is then lifted onto Ithe table T3 and thrust forward into the gun. normal position and the front end of the plug ,is re-elevated by the levers L2 and roller R4, and from the position l), to which it is thus restored, the breech-plug is hoisted by the vwindlass W2 and chain H,with the aid of the overhead block O, rollers R2, and rails R3, into said position d, from which it is thrust into the breech behind the projectile. The breechplug is then tightened by means of the worm or screw gear S. A starting-cartridge is introduced through the axial bore, into which the subsidiary fermeture F lits, supposing the latter to be employed, and this fermeture F is then introduced and tightened. The gun is then ready for firing. t Y

Having thus described the said improvef' ment, I claim as my invention and desire to patent u nder this specificationl. In combination with a gun having horizontal trunnions, a gun-carriage comprising longitudinal bearers, upwardly projecting struts supported by said bearers, socket-pieces for trunnion-bearings supported by the converging upper ends of the strutsrat the respective 'sides of the mount, a protectinghood supported b'y the rearpair of said struts, and a front shield attached to said hood', substantially as hereinbefore speciiied.

2. In combination with a gun having alongitudinallyremovable breech-plug provided with laterally-projecting arms and rollers at the extremities of said arms,'a carriage for the same having a rear platform and side walls, a xed rest or table projecting above said platform close behind the gun, and guiderails affixed to said side walls and coacting with said rollers, substantially as hereinbefore specified. Y y

3. Incombination with a gun having alongitudinally-removable breech-plug, a carriage behind the gun, behind which table the'breechj plug can'be lowered, and levers at the sides port for'the front end of the lowered breechplug, substantially as hereinbefore specified.

t. In combination with a' gun having horizontal trunnionsrandia yoke-bar crossing unnion-bearings, arear platform and side walls, a pair of horizontally-sliding wed ges supported by said platform under the respective ends of said yoke-bar, and provided with rear- Wardly extending racks and gearing, the shafts of which are supported by the side walls of the carriage, for moving said wedges backward and forward, substantially as hereinbefore specified. STEPHEN H. EMMENS.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL B. HAMBURG,

HUGH HENRY.

for the same having a fixed rest or table close of said table having at their .rear ends a supderneat-h its breech, a carriage having trun.

Then the weight W3 is depressed to its IOC) IIO 

